Improvement in shoes or gaiters



UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE FRED PACKARD, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHOES OR GAITERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,129, dated June 18, L878 application filed May 16, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED PACKARD, of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoes or Gaiters,

of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of shoes and gaiters known to the trade as the Alexis gaiter and consists in a tongue orinstep-piece of a peculiar construction, as will be hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of one-half of the instep-piece or tongue embodying my construction. Fig. 2 is alike view, showing the part formed of two pieces. Fig. 3 shows the entire tongue formed from a single piece of material, and Fig. 4 shows a complete shoe embracing my invention.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A represents the body portion of the tongue, which is of the usual form, and the portion thereof marked B represents my improvement, which consists of a wing or flap, either integral with the main portion of the tongue or formed of a separate piece and united thereto. This flap is cut in the form shown, so that, whether the tongue be made of one or two pieces, the corner slot or opening C is left between it and the other part of the tongue, for the purpose to be hereinafter explained.

When the pattern shown in Fig. 1 is seen, it will be obvious that two such pieces will be required to form a complete tongue. The two parts are to be united by a line of stitching down the center in a manner well known.

When the flaps or wings B are made separate they are first united to each of the pieces which compose the tongue, and the two parts are afterward stitched together in the usual manner.

It is evident the entire tongue may be made of a single piece of material, as shown in Fig. 3, or it may be formed integral with the vamp without departing from the spirit of my invention, which consists of a tongue or insteppiece provided with wings or flaps, as hereinbefore described.

When the tongue is constructed after the manner shown and described, the outer edges of the flaps or wings are stitched to the front edges of the quarters of the shoe, and by the operation of buckling or lacing form gores between the quarter and tongue-piece.

When the shoe is on the foot and the parts buckled or laced the wings or flaps are folded externally over the ton gue-piece from the lower portion of the slots at each side, thus bringing the laps outside and leavingno projecting portions inside to hurt the foot.

The following are the advantages I claim for my improvement over the ordinary Alexis gaiter, viz: It will not gap open afte-r'a little wear. It will prevent sand and dirt from working its way into the shoe, and effectually excludes snow and water, and will not tear down at the side like a shoe of ordinary construction, as the strain is much less. llts chief point of superiority, however, is the facility with which the shoe having this construction may be put on the foot, as it opens much wider in front than the ordinary pattern, which is always difficult to put on.

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tongue or insteppiece for a shoe or gaiter provided with the side wings or flaps B and slots or openings C intermediate of said flaps and the body of the tongue, substantially as specified.

2. A shoe or gaiter having a tongue or instep-piece provided with the side wings or flaps B and slots or openings C intermediate of said flaps and the body of the tongue, substantially as set forth.

FRED PACKARD.

Witnesses:

FRANK E. SHAW, H. M. KINGMAN. 

